The Importance of Teaching –

Schools White Paper, Nov 2010

06 January 2011

David Russell – Director of Curriculum & Behaviour Policy

Contents

Part 1 – Overview of White Paper

Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment & Qualifications

Part 3 - Science

Part 1 – Overview of White Paper

Slides 4-15

The context

“.. so many great schools, so many superb teachers and so many outstanding head teachers ..”

but we are failing to keep pace with the world’s best-performing education nations

and the gulf between opportunities for the rich and the poor has grown wider

the single most important lesson is – ‘The Importance of Teaching’

The narrative (1)

good teachers delivering good teaching is the single most important factor in giving every child a high quality education

poor behaviour is one of the biggest barriers to attracting and retaining good teachers

once schools have secured good behaviour, they will be able to deliver a challenging curriculum for all pupils

The narrative (2)

the best school systems devolve power to schools, and we will give schools the freedom to lead improvement

robust accountability for raising standards and narrowing gaps will sit alongside our plans for increased autonomy

head teachers and teachers are the people who make the difference, so we will give them real freedoms to decide how best to improve their school

the school funding system will be transparent and fair, and will effectively target disadvantaged pupils

A philosophical shiftFrom To

State action Decentralisation

Targets and accountability to the centre Data transparency creating local accountability

Regulation as the best guarantor of fairness Autonomy and trust as the best guarantor of fairness

Specific programmes to tackle issues Accountability and incentives set to create improvement

Identification of best practice and guidance Deregulation and reducing bureaucracy

Planning the system Opening the system up

Moving to end field forces and encourage lateral improvement

Complete the change – build capacity

Teaching and leadership

raise the quality of new entrants to the teaching profession (2:2) and focus ITT on core teaching skills

national network of Teaching Schools

support for teachers’ professional development, inc. end to 3 hour rule

powers to reward good performance; and address poor performance

free head teachers and teachers from bureaucracy and red tape, cutting duties, processes, guidance

Behaviour

clarify and strengthen teachers’ powers – search; same-day detention; use of force

protect teachers from malicious allegations strengthen head teachers’ authority beyond school gates support head teachers to take a strong stand against bullying,

esp. prejudice-based reform the exclusion appeals process trial school responsibility for excluded pupils’ attainment improve the quality of alternative provision

Curriculum, assessment and qualifications

See Part 2 !

The new school system

reinstate the freedoms Academies originally had all schools will be able to become Academies ensure that the weakest schools are considered for Academy

conversion support collaboration – chains, trusts, federations support teachers, charities and parent groups to open Free

Schools local authorities strong strategic role – champions for parents,

families, vulnerable students; ensuring school places; coordinating fair admissions; can develop own local school improvement strategies

Accountability

massive increase in public information on schools reform performance tables; new measures on deprived pupil progress,

and destinations reform school inspection: Ofsted focus on pupil achievement; quality

of teaching; leadership and management; behaviour and safety of pupils

floor standard for primary and secondary schools – escalating minimum expectation

support for underperforming schools, including minimum expectations; intervene where failure entrenched; help schools learn from one another; work with LAs to support underperforming schools

improve governing bodies

School improvement

school responsibility for driving improvement ending duty to appoint SIPs focus on school to school support – ‘families of schools’ data NLEs – doubling; and Teaching Schools Education Endowment Fund evidence on best practice, materials, improvement services support for schools below floor standards test a school financial incentive rewarding collaboration

School funding

new Pupil Premium consultation on clear and fairer funding formula transparency – on school spending remove requirement for LA clawback mechanism end disparity in funding for 16-18 year olds devolve the maximum funding to schools and realise

efficiencies take forward conclusions of capital spending review YPLA will become Education Funding Agency

In summary, this is about:

empowering teachers autonomy for schools, accountability to parents and

the community measuring success by international standards making the funding system fairer, so that poorer

children get a better chance to do well tackling the blockages to good teaching – bad

behaviour, prescriptive dogma, endless bureaucracy the state fundamentally stepping back from the day to

day running of schools

Part 2 – Curriculum, Assessment & Qualifications

Slides 17-24

Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications

Headlines

Review and reform the National Curriculum Support the teaching of systematic, synthetic phonics and introduce a simple

check at 6 Hold an independent review of assessment at 11 Encourage schools to offer the “English Baccalaureate” Focus support on strategic curriculum subjects and give schools space to offer a

truly rounded education Measure our qualifications internationally against the best in world Reform GCSEs and A Levels Reform vocational qualifications, following Professor Alison Wolf’s review Support more people to continue in education or training to 18

Curriculum, Assessment and Qualifications

Themes

Crucial role on international comparison to guide reform

Trusting the professionalism of teachers

Restoring rigour to the curriculum and qualifications

Concentrate on teaching for knowledge and understanding– and not excessive drilling or exam preparation

We will review and reform the National Curriculum to focus on essential knowledge and concepts

Reformed National Curriculum will:

– return to core entitlement organised around subjects.

– slim down - more freedom to teach and design their own curriculum “Core of knowledge and understand that all children should be expected to

acquire…. must not try to cover every conceivable area of human learning”

- Academies and Free Schools retain right not to follow; expectation is that more will choose to follow new National Curriculum

Review to be formally launched by Ministers:

– to cover both primary and secondary (and link to EYFS review)

– focus on international research Widespread consultation Aiming to implement from 9/13; new curriculum available from 9/12

We will promote systematic synthetic phonics and assessing reading at age six

Clear evidence of the importance of learning to read; and the effectiveness of systematic, synthetic phonics

– resources and training to support its teaching

– Ofsted judgements will reflect new expectations

– reform initial teacher training Phonics screening check at age 6 – extra help for those struggling

We will reform the key stage two tests – the principal measures of progress at primary schools

Concerns about excessive test preparation Independent review by Lord Bew – rigorous, valid and reliable assessments

to ensure schools are properly accountable to parents, pupils and public

The English Baccalaureate will encourage schools to offer a broad set of academic subjects at age 16

Students are expected to pursue a broad range of academic subjects to 16 across most of Europe

“English Baccalaureate” to encourage more students in England to do so Recognise success with A*-C GCSE or iGCSE in:

– English– maths– sciences (2 GCSEs)– language (ancient or modern)– humanities (history or geography)

Only 15% of students achieved this, summer 2009 – only 4% FSM. And more than 230 schools had no students achieving this

We will publish results school-by-school – alongside existing measures; and (in time) provide certificates for individual students

We will focus central government support on strategic curriculum subjects More delegation, and fewer top-down curriculum programmes, but retain

support for uptake and achievement in mathematics and the sciences, to:

– increase the number of specialist teachers in physics, chemistry and maths and improve the skills of existing teachers in these subjects

– support schools offering separate science GCSEs, physics and further maths A level

We will ensure all schools are given the resources and space they need to offer a truly rounded education

“Clearing away the clutter” from the curriculum will give teachers the freedom to design lessons and provide experience:

– PE – especially, competitive team sports

– Sex and relationships education & PSHE

– Cultural experiences (music, museums and libraries,…)

We will compare ourselves to the best in the world

Participation in PISA, PIRLS and TIMSS to tell us how we are performing

– (slipped to 14th in science, to 17th in reading, to 24th in maths)

– compulsory for schools to take part (to guarantee we’re involved) Add securing international comparability of qualification standards to Ofqual

objectives

– catching and keeping up with the best in the world becomes at least as important as keeping exams the same year-after-year

We will reform GCSEs and A levels We are working with Ofqual to look at:

– getting universities fully involved in the development of A Levels

– reducing A Level resits (2/3rds – 3/4

ths resit at least once)

– reversing the “modularisation” of GCSEs (so taken at the end of the course)

– greater weight on spelling, punctuation and grammar in GCSEs

We will review vocational education

Vocational education long the poor relation of academic education. Too many young people following poor quality vocational courses because

they are easy for schools and colleges to deliver and give them performance tables points – not for their intrinsic value

Professor Alison Wolf reviewing vocational education and qualifications – will report in Spring 2011

Expansion of the Apprenticeships programme, 16-19 – up to 131,000 in 2010/11

We will support more young people to continue in education to 18 Confirming the commitment to Raising the Participation Age – to 17 in

2013, and 18 in 2015

– not keen to criminalise young people; want to allow participation to bed in, so enforcement against young people to come in over a longer period

Part 3 – Science

Slides 26-30

The Department for Education will :

Continue specific programmes which have been successful

Commit over £130m to STEM support over the SR period

Announce shortly the STEM allocations in more detail

Stay joined up with BIS

The Department for Education will :

Seek to attract more top science and maths graduates to be teachers.

Support Teach First, create Teach Now to build on the Graduate Teacher programme, and seek other ways to improve the quality of the teaching profession.

Reform the rigid national pay and condition rules to give schools greater freedoms to pay good teachers more and deal with poor performance.

The Department for Education will :

Create more flexibility in the exam system so that state schools can offer qualifications like the iGCSE

Reform league tables so that schools are able to focus on, and demonstrate, the progress of children of all abilities

Keep external assessment, but will review how key stage 2 tests operate in future.

The Department for Education will :

Keep science at the heart of curriculum

Announce the detail of the National Curriculum Review very shortly

Keep working with and listing to stakeholders.

Thank you.